IB interview questions PDF

Title IB interview questions
Course Private Equity e Venture Capital
Institution Università degli Studi di Pavia
Pages 13
File Size 316.1 KB
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IB interview questions...


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1- Describe your experiences with creating presentations for school, inter ships or volunteer activities . How did you know your presentation was successful? In my third and forth year of the high school, I have volunteered for the FAI- a non profit foundation, whose main goal is to protect Italian places and promoting their knowledge. How does FAI achieve this purpose? Simply opening to the public , twice a year (during winter season and the spring season ) these places that can be visited individually or in groups. Essentially what I have done was guided students and tourist through the city of Pavia, presenting to them castles , monasteries and gardens . It had been an amazing experience, really helpful because it helped become a confident public speaker and now I am able to present in front of many people. Of course this activity required lots of work before the day of the presentation: researches , studies , site inspections but it was worth. I knew my presentation was successful simply because I could maintain the attention, people were focused on me and they were curious about what I was saying. 2- What are a few of your key considerations when creating a presentation? When creating a presentation, of course I want it to be engaging, effective and interesting . In order to achieve this result I need to plan of course. An effective presentation makes the best use of the relationship between the presenter and the audience . It takes full consideration of the audience’s needs in order to capture their interest, develop their understanding, inspire their confidence and achieve the presenter’s objectives. So careful planning is essential . - Preparation: many factors can affect the design of the presentation ( objectives , audience, venue, remit) - Choose the main points - Choose the supportive information - Develop an opening - Develop a conclusion 3- How do you prepare to present informal and formal presentations? Preparation is the single most important part of making a successful presentation . It is an absolutely crucial foundation and there are a number of aspects that must be consider : the aim of the presentation, the audience, the length of the . 4-Describe a project you previously worked on a team. What made the team successful ? At my current position, as financial analyst intern, one weekend I worked the others intern to complete an important task our manager gave to us. But we realized that there had been an error and What made the team successful was for sure the team organization. Each one was responsible for success. Of course not everyone had the same strengths, so the team cooperation lead to minimizing individual weaknesses. S - In my first year at university, I was selected as President of the Literary Society of my year , which did not have many members (about 40) and attendance was often low. There were 3 other committee members. T - Our aim was to organize a high profile events program over 3 terms with leading speakers such as authors, poets and academics and to increase the membership of the society and attendance at events. A - At our first meeting, I encouraged people to say if they had any preferences about tasks they would prefer to undertake. This established a positive, open working relationship from the start and showed recognition of the strengths of each team member. One person wanted to be treasurer, another the publicist and the third person wanted to focus on organizing the events. My particular role was to invite the potential speakers, to host the events and to coordinate the activities. I elicited suggestions for possible speakers and listened carefully to the contributions of the team. This encouraged the team to pool our knowledge and resulted an excellent range of prospective speakers. I then communicated with the team throughout the process, so that we were all clear about developments such as who was visiting, timing of publicity, and how to deal problems such as cancellations. I also encouraged the team to update each other about any relevant issues. R - The team organized a series of very successful and well attended events with prestigious speakers including x,x,x, and x. Membership increased to about 100 and the team received very positive feedback from academic staff about the quality of the speakers and contribution to university life. I helped to achieve this by having a collaborative approach from the start. 5- Describe a situation when you worked with others on a project and your teammates disagreed with your ideas. How did you respond ? What were some of your ( collective ) challenges and how did you resolve them? I was on a project team in a business class in my freshman year in college, The group brainstormed ideas for the presentation we were assigned to give , and everyone but me was leaning toward an idea that would be easy. I suggested instead an idea that would be more difficult but would be something different that no other group would be doing. I used my communications skills to persuade the rest of the group to use my idea. During the project, we really learned what teamwork was all about, became a close team, and ended up putting a lot of hard work into the project. All the team members ended up feeling very proud of the presentation and they thanked me for the idea -- for which we earned an 30/30 6- How would you coach someone else on building trust ? Building trust is not easy. However , it is one of the essential ingredients to build a great relationship, winning team and culture of greatness. In order to build trust there must be transparency and openness . 7- Tell me about a time when you had a positive impact on a project. How did you measure your success? Answer number 5.

I evaluate success based not only on my work but also on the work of my team. In order for me to be considered successful, the team needs to achieve both our individual and our team goals. For me, success is about doing my job well. I want to be recognized as someone who always does her best and tries her hardest to achieve her goals. 8- Describe a task that really tested your analytical abilities. S - Anticipating the time between finishing our final year at high school and starting our degrees I and 3 friends had briefly discussed going on a summer trip round Europe. We all felt we would have enough money each to do it and enough time. However the idea was in jeopardy when in quick succession one friend learnt of an unexpected cost that would divert some of their financial funds and another learnt of an additional demand on their time. T - I took it open myself to do some data driven analysis to identify whether the trip was in actual fact still possible. I set out to do both some anticipated cost analysis and time based analysis into potential routes. A - Firstly I identified four potential round trips each a little longer in distance than the last one. I worked out the different travel costs for each trip including any discounts for group travel. I worked out a realistic daily budget for food taking into account the current exchange rate between the pound and euro. I researched 3 different tiers of accommodation options by averaging out the cost of 4 examples of hostels, bed and breakfasts, and hotels from each country. I put all of this information into one worksheet in a spreadsheet. I then presented this to my potential fellow travellers starting off with a particular scenario that I felt met all our needs. R - Systematically laying out this information helped us go through my example choice and other different scenarios around route, accommodation and time. We were able to identify another option that combined different elements of accommodation and suited all our circumstances. It involved using a group travel discount for four or more people that meant we could all afford to do it but couldn’t if only 3 of us went. (300 words) 10- How do you prioritize tasks and projects when scheduling your time? Give some examples. I am used to working under tight deadlines, so I set my most urgent tasks at the top of my to-do list every morning when I get to work. Then, I establish a clear deadline for myself that's usually a day in advance of company due dates. Recently, I had to shift around my workload to accommodate an urgent product order. The client wanted custom modifications to the product completed in a week, but our normal lead time for implementing modifications is around 10 to 14 days. I communicated with my production department and manufacturing team to implement urgent changes in the production timeline. These adjustments allowed us to ship the product to the client on time, effectively reducing the time it took to apply the customizations by three days. 11- Have you ever had a project not go according to plan? What happened? What did you do to get it back on track? I was helping to manage a project for one of the biggest clients in my current company, and I was so eager to please them that I told them we could finish the project within 2 weeks. I thought this was doable, but it ended up taking 3 weeks and they were not happy. Looking back, I realized I should have been more conservative in my estimate to the client. I realized that a client isn’t going to be upset if you’re clear about the timeline in advance, but they are going to be disappointed if you promise something and then don’t deliver. So I took this experience and used it to become much better at managing expectations of clients during projects I oversee. In my last job, our CEO gave me a chance to interview and hire entry-level people for our team. I chose to hire someone who seemed to have a lot of potential but also had some “red flags” or things that worried me. It ended up being a big mistake. They had a poor attitude and dragged the team down until my CEO had to fire them. I learned to be more careful and not rush my decisions and to speak with others on my team who have more experience if I’m unsure of something. I also realized how important each hiring decision is, which made me a better manager in the last couple years of my career. Since then, I’ve hired 8 other people and never had a bad experience like this again. But it was a great lesson to learn early in my career. 12- Describe a time when you received difficult feedback. How did you respond? My manager told me, earlier in my career, that I needed to pay closer attention to detail when she noticed some mistakes in my paperwork. I am meticulous about staying organized and double checking my work, so I was a little surprised at first. I took a deep breath and let my manager know that I would have a peer review the documents before I submitted them and that I would take extra steps to make sure it didn't happen again. I now use a couple of programs and apps to ensure my work is triple checked before I submit it. 13- Why this position? Why are you a good fit for this position? Why this company? There are many factors that attract me to JP Morgan. -I want to be a part of one of the leading, global financial services firm with an outstanding reputation both in the U.S. and around the world. -JP Morgan strong "brand" and reputation makes it a firm I want to be a part of. The second factor to me is the people -I know that JP Morgan attracts outstanding, smart, talented and hardworking people. I've seen this first hand based on the people I know who went to work at JP Morgan. JP Morgan hires people who are diverse and global which are to traits necessary for success. At the end of the day, a financial services firm is only as good as its people so this factor is really important.

-Next I would say is the culture. I realize that JP Morgan is the product and mix of several different firms, all of which had their own unique cultures, but it seems that Jamie Dimon and the senior leaders of JP Morgan have created a unified theme. One of these themes is corporate responsibility which is important to millennials-Lastly, I've heard that JP Morgan has ample training opportunities and is a fantastic place to grow a long-term career. 13- Why are you interested in asset/ wealth management? I want to work for a growing industry. As populations age and the middle class grows, there will be a large pool of savings in need for wealth management services. So to me it seems like an excellent long term career opportunity. In addition, being in wealth management allows you the opportunity to serve people and help them reach financial goals whether its growing someones wealth to send their kids to college or help them retire. I believe I have the skills to be a successful wealth manager. As a finance major, I expect to have the financial and analytical skills. I also have the interpersonal skills and communications skills that are important on the relationship-building side of wealth management. 13-What unique experience could you bring to our team?/What makes you a good fit for this role? -I would bring several very relevant and unique experiences to the Wealth Management business at JP Morgan: -I have a strong interest in financial markets and economic trends, and further have exposure through summer internships to several areas relevant to wealth management, including: i) trading; ii) investment; iii) finance; and iv) commercial real estate.During these summer internships, I've learned how to work in a fast-paced, pressure-filled environment. - I also have demonstrated leadership qualities. As mentioned earlier, I was voted one of [5] members of my fraternity's Executive Committee. I know how to work in a collaborative manner towards a common objective. -Lastly, through my internships and other leadership activities such as being social chairman of my fratenrity, I have the communication skills and interpersonal skills that are necessary to not just operate in the Wealth Management division, but also to grow the business over time. I am very comfortable interacting with clients and co-workers. 14- What efforts do you make to stay on top of the markets on a regular basis? I Twitter soley focused solely on providing updates on what's happening in world financial markets and current world events. I follow Business Intelligence, Finance Insider, Seeking Alpha and Bloomberg. I read the Wall Street Journal which keeps me informed on areas such as healthcare policys and changes in banking regulations. I am a member of the University of Miami Stock Investing Club where we constantly discuss how current events affect stocks and the financial markets What trend(s) do you find interesting in the financial markets? -An interesting trend in the financial markets and among asset managers has been the use of AI in managing investments. -AI uses quantitative, computer-driven analysis to to help or even replace humans in developing portfolios. -The use of AI has been rapidly expanding and could be seen being used at firms such as Blackrock. This raises the question that if everyone is using AI, does it evaporate its benefits? -It will be very interesting to see how firm's will use AI to differentiate themselves and outperform their competitors 14- Talk about a time you dealt with a difficult coworker and how you handled the situation. During my recent internship, we had a member of our team who was negative on the approach I was taking for my summer project. I took time to meet with her to better understand her concerns. I will say that it wasn’t easy and I didn’t get a lot accomplished in that first meeting. So I met with my mentor asking for suggestions and she recommended going to lunch with her. When I asked her about lunch, she initially declined, saying that she brings lunch with her to the office. I said I did as well and asked if we could just meet at her desk for a brown bag session. She agreed and we were able to talk through the specifics of my project. It turns out that one part of my project would potentially be removing her access, temporarily, to some data that she needed for her daily work. As we talked it through, we were able to come up with a way to set aside a copy of a static dataset for her to access while the main data was taken offline when needed. She was happy with the outcome and I was as well, since it removed what could have been a major roadblock on our team. 15- Talk about your experience in changing roles quickly to achieve an object. On my recent internship, we had an all-hands-on-deck request when one of the customers put in an unexpectedly large order which needed to be fulfilled within 24 hours. Our team mobilized to assist in fulfilling the order and literally worked around the clock to make it happen. I learned a great deal about exceeding customer expectations during that time and our team also worked out a process document covering our lessons learned so that this type of situation could be handled more efficiently in the future. 16- Tell me about a current event that interests you and why? 17- What unique experience or expertise could you bring to our team ?

1. I have always been an energetic worker. Throughout my work history- this energy has shown itself in my upbeat attitude and ability to keep busy. Work has always been about more than a to-do list for me. I strive to take initiative to help on special projects and day-to-day tasks to ensure tasks get done. Of course- my energy is led by my time management skills- so I work on top-priority jobs before searching for busywork. If I were to get this position- this energy- and everything that comes with it- would lead to brainstorming- innovation and efficiency. 2. If I were to get this position- I would bring a fierce- ambitious attitude. In the past my ambition has led me to take on roles of leadership when necessary. My last job saw a lot of turnover. I had only been with the company for a month- but I was still one of the workers with the most experience. My supervisor was sick on the day of a big presentation. My coworkers and I were worried about who would take the lead. I willingly stepped in and presented what we had worked on. This- and similar experiences- have showed me I thrive on these types of challenges. In this position I would confidently work with the team and willingly take leadership roles when necessary. 18- What leadership experience or extracurricular activity on your resume is most important to you and why -I was elected to be Social Chairman and Member of the Executive Committee. This means I was responsible for all aspects of running our [200] member social fraternity -One of my duties include managing over 40,000 dollars of our yearly dues and evaluating and recommending how we spend our money on various events including philanthropy activities. -In addition, I keep track of social expenses and have to communicate and network with various types of people such as venue owners and school directors. -This leadership experience is important to me because I've learned valuable communication and social skills such as 1. how to communicate effectively, 2. how to run an efficient meeting, and 3. how to command a large audience 19- What efforts do you make to stay on top of the markets on a regular basis ? I keep up with my industry in 3 main ways: 1) subscribing to industry newsletters, 2) attending monthly meetups, and 3) following thought leaders on Twitter. SmartBrief is an excellent industry newsletter that summarizes news, stats and trends in my industry every morning. Monthly meetups not only opens up new ideas, but also creates opportunities to forge new connections. Lastly, my Twitter feed is a real-time view on what top thought leaders are currently reading. + Websites, Books, Magazines, Publications, Webinars, Conferences …. 20- Which skills did you gain during your internship that will make you good fit for this role? 21- Can you tell us about a time you have acted as a leader? I took the initiative to organize a black-tie gala at my college and successfully secured a venue and band for a reduced fee. I also oversaw a team of six other students who secured raffle prizes from local businesses. The event was a success, and we raised over $2,000 for our charity. 22- Why do you think you will succeed in this role? What makes you a good fit? Can you tell us about a time you worked in a team to solve a problem -Being one out of the 5 members on the executive committee running a 200 hundred pe...


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